THEN AND NOW: The 1986 UP Championship team #3
ABS-CBN News,02/24/2016 01:48 PM
NU head coach Eric Altamirano. Photo by Josh Albelda, ABS-CBN Sports
Eric Altamirano
Eric Altamirano was almost universally hailed as the hero of UP in their final triumph against UE. He scored 27 points in the game, leading all scorers, and Tacujan wrote that he "slugged and knifed through" the defending champions' defense.
The Manila Bulletin noted that for most of the season, Altamirano played "in the shadows of his more prominent national teammate" Ronald Magsanoc," but "found his day" in the finals when he not only led the team in scoring but also orchestrated the Maroons' fastbreak game.
Altamirano went on to play in the PBA as well, but is best known for his work as a coach. He coaches the National University Bulldogs, and in 2015, he led them to the UAAP Season 77 men's basketball championship – the school's first title in six decades.